ScHoolboy Q Insists Top Dawg Isn't Behind Kendrick Lamar and SZA Album Delays

ScHoolboy Q admits Top Dawg Entertainment has become known for extensive album delays, but insists it’s nobody’s fault except the artists’.

The SoCal rapper explained his position during a recent appearance on YG’s 4HUNNID podcast, discussing the years-long gap between his albums CrasH Talk (2019) and Blue Lips (2024).

Q said he began working on the latter project during COVID lockdowns and would spend the following years writing and recording until he was satisfied with the output.

Co-host Damn Stevie was seemingly surprised by Q’s comments, as he—like so many others—assumed Tiffith had intentionally stalled album releases. Q was quick to dismiss that theory and pointed to TDE labelmates SZA and Kendrick Lamar, who have not released full-length projects since 2022.

“Muthafuckas gotta stop that, bruh. They be giving Top and them hell,” the rapper said around the 11:50 mark. “I’ma be honest, that’s us (the artists). Bruh, you think Top is telling Kendrick and SZA to… You think he’s gon’ tell them, ‘You only can drop one album in five years?’ Two of the biggest artists? He ain’t gonna get no chicken!”

Q said the reason why TDE artists take so long to drop albums is because they have a “mental illness” and worry too much about perfection.

“I think we just cuckoo in the head, bruh and I think we all got similarities and it shows,” he continued. “[Isaiah Rashad] didn’t drop in five years; I didn’t drop in five years; SZA didn’t drop in five years; Dot didn’t drop in five years; it done hit five for [Jay] Rock, you know what I’m saying? We have something in common and it’s not Top. I don’t see how he gains anything from doing that.”

Q also said he would never sit on an album for five years… unless it was his choice.

“We gonna be arguing like a muthafucka if you making me wait five years between albums and it’s not be my choice. I’m 37 with kids and shit,” he said. “[Tiffith] doesn’t gain nothing for that. We have a fuckin’ a mental illness—everybody on that label. I think we got caught up in trying to perfect shit, a little bit. I think we took a little too long.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Schoolboy Q admitted that early in the group's formation, Top pushed his artists to think about making high quality music. "I ain't gonna lie, at the beginning, Top did push us hard, like, nah, we need hits. At the beginning, he was on us. But he wasn't saying push the album back,' he explained.

You can check out the full interview below.